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jkneebone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
In the shorter timeline - the 'after' - Mungo is sent by Mo-Maw on a fishing trip with two men she knows from AA. Calling themselves St Christopher and Gallowgate, they take Mungo on a multi-bus journey to a remote loch. The men are former convicts and heavy alcoholics, but only after Mungo is there does he realize the real danger he might be in.
I read this for a book club, as it is not the kind of book I would pick up normally, and though I was glad to have the chance to branch out, it was still not my cup of tea. I think it was well written, if perhaps a tad longer than it needed to be (although despite the length, it felt like a quick read; the writing was very engaging). All of the characters were so well developed and interesting, even if most of them were more unlikable than not. The setting was quite vivid as well, although it threw me off that the era wasn't made clear earlier on - maybe there was a hint that I missed, but while I got that it was the 90s eventually, I spent way too much time wondering at the beginning.
Overall I interpreted this as a sort of commentary on poverty and abuse, the cyclical/heritable nature of trauma, and the deep claws of homophobia. Mo-Maw got pregnant young and holds this against her children; we see this pattern playing out with Hamish and Sammy Jo
I'm conflicted about the ending - it definitely improved my feelings on the book overall, but I wish that it hadn't taken so long to get to that point.
Heavy, heavy topics throughout - definitely read the content warnings if you're sensitive about pretty much anything. There is a lot of sad, bad stuff going on.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion
petyapav's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
torismazarine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
senoyreve's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Outing, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
oscarlavista's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It's simply a masterpiece. I've not read anything like this before and I will probably never read anything like it again. It's the best worst time I've ever had. Now I'm off to have a good cry 😢
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Incest and Self harm
nineinchnails's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
all of the characters were well developed and fleshed out but jodie was particularly interesting to read about. she was one of the only characters to treat mungo with love and care relatively consistently. she was something of a mother figure to him, despite only being a year older - to me this shone a light on mungo's naivete as well as jodie's parentification. they had a teenage brother but the responsibility of raising and caring for the two of them still fell on her shoulders alone. jodie "hated" their mother, but
mungo seems to be endlessly loving, endlessly obedient, and endlessly forgiving. it's painful to see him repeatedly get taken advantage of by the people in his life. his mother has pretty much no redeeming qualities and just seems to take and take with no regard for the wellbeing of her own children. getting to the end and finding out
the ending of the fishing trip did feel a little dissonant considering the overall tone of the novel and the characterisation of mungo up to this point. of course, he was put in a situation where he had few options and i am more than relieved that he ended up
i didn't expect to tear up for the reason that i did when i finished this. it was very shocking while also making complete sense for
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Child sexual abuse, Grooming, Child neglect, Poverty, Student/Teacher relationship, Backstreet/unsafe abortion, and Prostitution/sex workjupytwo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
read the content warnings! i did not.
Graphic: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Abortion
adrienne_rennie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Abortion
Minor: Pregnancy
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I have never felt so absolutely gutted after finishing a book, nor have I wanted to give a character a hug as much as Mungo. Stuart writes such a devastating story of a sweet soul who deserved so much more than what he was given. After checking trigger warnings, I would highly recommend, this is a new favorite for me.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, and Alcohol
archiedh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Stuart’s description is lyrical and evocative, able to conjure every speck of dirt in a scene and make it feel as though it is stuck to your skin or caked under your nails. The characterisation is wonderful with even minor players feeling fully realised and more nuanced than they might initially appear. Standouts are easily Jodie and Chickie Calhoun.
And at the centre of it, we have James and Mungo. The scenes with them offer a respite from the horror, tactile, intimate, and romantic. Stuart captures blossoming romance almost scarily well.
It is by no means a light or fun read, some chapters even feel pulled out of a horror novel, but it is deeply affecting and a book I can see myself thinking about for a long while.
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Abortion